Texas Tech faculty members can discuss politics, economics, energy and more.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to unfold, sending global markets plummeting and prompting uncertainty throughout multiple nations and industries, experts from Texas Tech University are available to discuss the situation's impacts and implications for the future.
Experts
Agriculture – Darren Hudson, director of the International Center for Agricultural Competitiveness within the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and professor and Larry Combest Chair in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, (806) 834-0546 or darren.hudson@ttu.edu
- Hudson's research interests include agricultural policy and trade, economic development, marketing and consumer demand, and behavioral economics. He participates in the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute consortium producing annual baseline projections for cotton for the group. Hudson is a past-president of the Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
- He is available to discuss the impacts of the current situation on the prices of wheat and cotton.
Agriculture – Sunghun Lim, assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics and a member of the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium, (806) 834-3155 or sunghun.lim@ttu.edu
- Lim's research centers on the intersection between international trade, supply chains, agricultural development and political economics. His primary research focus is studying how agricultural global value chains and international trade policies affect national economic outcomes, such as structural transformation, employment, food security and political outcomes.
- He is available for written interviews discussing how the current situation will impact agricultural trade, inflation and agri-food supply chains at both regional and global levels.
Economics – Michael Noel, professor of economics, (806) 834-6342 or michael.noel@ttu.edu
- Noel specializes in competition economics and is perhaps best known for his work on dynamic price competition in the oil and gas industry. He pioneered the now large professional literature on price cycles and price volatility in gasoline markets and is internationally known as a leading competition expert in the industry.
- He is available to discuss the effects of the current situation on oil prices and inflation.
Energy markets – Nikki Kantelis, coordinator for energy commerce and business economics within the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business and assistant professor of practice in the Center for Energy Commerce, (806) 834-1184 or nikki.kantelis@ttu.edu
- Kantelis' areas of expertise include economics, quantitative analysis, energy midstream and downstream trading.
- “The Russia-Ukraine crisis has resulted in a significant shock to global energy markets,” she said. “Geopolitical tensions, which always cause uncertainty and concerns about supply disruption, are particularly amplified in this case. Global energy demand is recovering from COVID-19 and supplies were relatively tight even before this crisis. U.S. shale producers, who would normally be expected to respond to higher prices and bring more supply to the market, are not responding as they might have in the past. Some continue to have financial problems, and some have been concerned about the impact of some of the Biden administration's mandates and executive orders. OPEC producers do not have much spare production capacity and are, themselves, not in the position to raise production. The only market certainty is that energy markets will continue to experience volatility.”
History – Alan Barenberg, Buena Vista Foundation associate professor and associate chair of the Department of History, (806) 834-7928 or alan.barenberg@ttu.edu
- Barenberg is a specialist in the social and economic history of the Soviet Union, focusing on the history of repression (the Gulag).
- He is available to address the history of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and how that history is being manipulated to provide a justification for the invasion.
Political science – Frank C. Thames, professor of political science, (806) 834-4049 or frank.thames@ttu.edu
- Thames' overall research focuses on legislative behavior in post-communist legislatures, the economic effects of electoral systems, and gender. Much of his current research focuses on the politics of Ukraine.
- He is available to discuss the political ramifications of the current situation.
